1. Technical Field
This application relates to a beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material, a beverage container filling machine, and a beverage container closing machine.
2. Background Information
A beverage bottling plant for filling bottles with a liquid beverage filling material can possibly comprise a beverage filling machine with a plurality of beverage filling positions, each beverage filling position having a beverage filling device for filling bottles with liquid beverage filling material. The filling devices may have an apparatus designed to introduce a predetermined volume of liquid beverage filling material into the interior of bottles to a substantially predetermined level of liquid beverage filling material. The apparatus designed to introduce a predetermined flow of liquid beverage filling material further comprises an apparatus that is designed to terminate the filling of the beverage bottles upon the liquid beverage filling material reaching the predetermined level in bottles. There may also be provided a conveyer arrangement that is designed to move bottles, for example, from an inspecting machine to the filling machine. Upon filling, a closing station closes the filled bottles. There may further be provided a conveyer arrangement configured to transfer filled bottles from the filling machine to the closing station. Bottles may be labeled in a labeling station, the labeling station having a conveyer arrangement to receive bottles and to output bottles. The closing station and the labeling station may be connected by a corresponding conveyer arrangement.
Container handling machines include, for example, filling machines, capping machines, rinsers etc. In higher-capacity bottling plants, these machines employ a rotating construction, whereby the handling spaces that hold the containers are located on the periphery of a carousel and carry along the containers in a circulating movement during handling operations.
Given the increased requirements relating to the quality of the beverages to be bottled and their shelf life, a construction is necessary in which the handling spaces are in an enclosed space that can be filled with a controlled atmosphere. This space can be filled with an inert gas atmosphere, e.g. CO2 with a sterilizing atmosphere of H2O2 for example, to thereby ensure a low-oxygen and aseptic processing of the beverages, which is of priority importance for the quality of the beverages being bottled, in particular when the cold bottling method which is preferred by many users is employed. A variety of such handling machines are used in the beverage industry.
DE-PS 696 569 describes a construction of this type in which a filling machine is located in a closed housing. The space thereby formed is determined by the overall size of the machine and encloses a considerable volume. DE 199 11 517 A1 describes a rotating filling machine which is located in its entirety inside a housing that encloses it with very little clearance on all sides. The size of the housing is determined by the size of the machine and is thereby likewise of considerable volume. DE 198 35 369 C1 shows a realization in which the container handling machines extend in a sealed manner with their handling spaces located on the bottom downward into a space in which there is a controlled atmosphere. This space is designed so that it is accessible from underneath the machine.
An additional solution is disclosed in DE 197 31 796. In this industrial configuration, the filling and capping machines are located in a clean room, the volume of which is so small that there is only free space to perform the necessary service and maintenance work on the filling and capping machine. The purpose of reducing the volume of the clean space is to reduce the operating costs of the plant. An immersion sterilizer is also located directly adjacent to the clean space. The purpose of this measure, in comparison to EP 0120 789, is to eliminate the second rinser and the associated acquisition and operating costs. Overall, one disadvantage of this solution is that here, too, a clean space is provided that encloses both the filling and capping machine in their entirety, which means that the clean space will be very large and will entail high construction and operating costs. The greatest possible reduction in the volume of the clean space, which is the object of this realization of the prior art, also has major disadvantages in terms of restricting access for any maintenance work that has to be performed.
Consequently, the large volume of the space that has to be filled with a controlled atmosphere is a disadvantage in the constructions of the prior art. This space has to be opened whenever operation is disrupted. In that case, the space is filled with normal ambient air and becomes correspondingly contaminated. The subsequent cleaning of the space before operation can be resumed is determined essentially by its surface area and the total volume. With the large-volume spaces of the prior art, even minor operational disruptions or required retooling operations can interrupt production for long periods, because every time the space that is filled with a controlled atmosphere must be opened, it has to be cleaned, a process that generally takes several hours.
Finally, DE 101 45 803 A1 and DE 297 13 155 U1 show that the enclosed space is realized in the form of a ring-shaped tunnel that encircles the filling machine carousel and the ring-shaped boiler on one hand, and is enclosed by the stationary surfaces on the other hand, whereby the stationary and carousel surfaces that form the tunnel are sealed from and/or to each other by means of concentric seals or gaskets. These configurations of the prior art result in significant reductions in the size of the clean space or clean room.
A further improvement is proposed by another application by the same applicant which is Case No. DE 103 26 618.6.
In the context of this application, methods are taught that further limit the size of the handling space.
A handling machine as described in DE 103 26 618.6 has a clean space that consists of a three-dimensional portion that rotates with the filling machine and a stationary, non-rotating three-dimensional portion, whereby only the mouth portions of the beverage containers are admitted into the clean space.
A partition wall of the clean space that rotates with the rotating carousel thereby contains the receptacles and/or supports and centering devices for the mouth portions or parts of the containers, such as neck rings, for example.
These receptacles, supports and/or centering devices are located in the bottom, approximately horizontal rotating boundary wall of the clean space.
Because an increasingly essential requirement of beverage bottling operations is that they must be able to handle, i.e. to fill, different container sizes with a single container handing machine, on a device like the one described in DE 103 26 6187 it is necessary to realize the receptacles and/or supports so that they can be adapted to the largest occurring diameter of the container neck.
With this method, during the handling of containers with relatively small container neck diameters, there are relatively large openings through which the controlled atmosphere can escape, which results in undesirably high costs.
With an increased demand for quality of the beverage to be filled into containers and its stability of durability, there is at hand a type of arrangement in which the handling positions are disposed in a closed space that is supplied with a special atmosphere. Such a space can be supplied with an inert atmosphere, for example, carbon dioxide, with a sterilizing atmosphere, or with hydrogen peroxide and thus can ensure a treatment of the beverage that is low in oxygen and low in germs, this being of paramount importance for the filling quality of the beverage. Such handling machines are known in many varieties in the beverage industry.
German Patent No. DE-PS 696,569 shows an arrangement in which a filling machine is disposed in a closed housing. The space that is provided in this manner is determined by the full size of the machine and has a substantial volume. German Patent Publication No. DE-OS 199 11 517 A1 shows a rotating filling machine that is fully disposed in a tightly surrounding housing that has a size that is determined by the size of the machine and, accordingly, the housing is also of substantial volume. German Patent No. DE-PS 198 35 369 C1 shows an embodiment in which the lower handling positions of container handling machines extend in sealed manner from above into a space that is supplied with a special atmosphere. This space is equipped so as to be accessed from below.
A further solution is disclosed in German Patent Publication No. DE-OS 197 31 796. The technical embodiment of this reference comprises a filling machine and a closing machine that are both disposed in a clean space or room that has a volume that is dimensioned so as to be so tight such that there is only space for maintenance at the filling machine and at the closing machine. By way of the reduction of the volume of the clean space, a lowering of the operating expense of the arrangement is to be attained. In addition, an immersion bath sterilizer is directly disposed at the clean space. This measure is to achieve, in contrast with European Patent No. EP 0120 789, to make the second rinser superfluous and to obviate associated operating and capital expenditures. This solution comprises overall the drawback that also in this embodiment there is suggested a clean space that fully envelops the filling machine, as well as the closing machine, and this arrangement requires a large amount of space and high construction and operating expenses. The desired extensive reduction in size of the constructive volume of the clean space that is sought in this teaching entails marked disadvantages, due to the diminished accessibility when maintenance is to be carried out.
The substantial volume of the space that is supplied with a special atmosphere is, accordingly, of disadvantage in the designs of the prior art. In the event of disruptions of operations, the space needs to be opened. It is then filled with normal ambient air and is correspondingly accessible to germs. The subsequent cleaning of the space prior to resumption of operations is largely determined by the surfaces and the overall volume of the space. In the case of the known large clean rooms, accordingly, the interruptions of operations, that are necessary due to disruptions of operations, or required relocation of machines, as well as the unavoidable cleaning of machines, last for hours.
From German Patent Publication No. DE-OS 101 45 803 A1 (corresponding to International Patent Publication No. WO 03/024860 A1, published on Mar. 27, 2003) and German Petty Patent No. DE-GM 297 13 155 U1, (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,867 issued to Karl on Feb. 22, 2000), it is finally known that the closed space is configured as an annular tunnel structure that moves about/or surrounds the carousel of the filling machine and the annular boiler, on the one hand, and by the stationary surfaces, on the other hand, whereby the carousel surfaces and the stationary surfaces are disposed in sealing manner atop one another or, respectively, with respect to one another by way of concentric seal elements. These known configurations already substantially reduce the required clean space.